How to Distinguish a Refurbished Iphone from a New
It should be noted that the cost of such devices is practically no different from the gadgets that just went on sale. Before you buy a restored iPhone 7, you need to understand what it is.
What does a refurbished iPhone 7 mean?
Many users believe that a refurbished phone is a device that has been repaired. This is actually not the case. Some devices and iPhones, including those, are factory defective. After identifying deficiencies, Apple employees eliminate them, and then put up for sale again.
On the sites you can see the sign “Refurbished” opposite the selected phone. Employees of Yabloko understand that the phone was a little redone, which means that you need to make a discount on it. Unfortunately, resellers do not want to lose profits, so they often give out “almost new” devices for the new iPhone 7.
How to distinguish a restored iPhone from a new one by IMEI?
In order not to purchase a refurbished iPhone 7 at the price of a new gadget, you must learn to find differences. One of the best ways to find out if the gadget has been restored is to check the device by IMEI.
A similar check can be performed using services such as:
Both resources are in English. It doesn’t matter which way you decide to use, because the result is important. It should be noted that it is impossible to download 100% that the phone was restored, but based on the data received, conclusions can be drawn.
Service “imeidata.net”
When the main page of the resource loads, in the “IMEI No.e.” You must enter the IMEI code of your device. This code can be viewed:
- On the package.
- Via iTunes.
- In the settings of the iPhone 7.
After entering the code, you need to install the checkbox next to the “I’m not a robot” field, and then click on the “Check” button.
After 3 seconds, information about the smartphone appears. According to the information provided, it is difficult to understand whether the gadget was on recovery.
For detailed information, click on the link “Free Check Now”. After that, additional information will be displayed. Thanks to the service, you can find out if a smartphone was stolen or lost. To complete the picture, it is recommended to use additional services.
Service “iphoneimei.info”
After loading the web page, a form will appear in which you need to specify the IMEI of the iPhone, and then click on the arrow.
Finding information about the iPhone 7 or another gadget model takes 10-15 seconds. Once the search is completed, a table with detailed information will appear.
To understand whether the device is new or almost new, it is necessary to analyze such points as:
- The color of the iPhone 7, which is written in the header. If it differs from what the seller shows you, then the gadget has replaced the case, that is, it is not new;
- If the “iCloud / Find My iPhone” field is set to “off”, then everything is fine with the device. When they try to restore the phone, the status of this line will change to “on”;
- If the value is Expired (“Expired”) opposite any field, then the gadget has been used before. This may include technical support or warranty service. In this case, it is clear that the gadget is not new.
According to these criteria, you can understand that the iPhone is not new and the seller can be convicted of fraud.
Verification via model number
The most effective way is to check the model number. First of all, you should consider the box. On the reverse side, where the barcode is pasted (printed), the model number is located. It is before the value of “RFB”.
There are times when you are not shown the box, but there is the opportunity to consider the iPhone. You should go into the settings, and then find the item “General”. In the window that opens, go to the “About the device” section. Opposite the “Model” field, code will be written.
In both cases, you need to check the first letter. There may be 3 options for beeches:
In addition to the first letter, it is recommended to look at the letters located before the “/” symbol. If there is RU, then this is normal, since the device is intended for sale in the territory of the Russian Federation. There are times when LL (USA region) is at the end. If such a code is indicated, you need to ask how the device got to Russia.
